MLive’s Ansar Khan filed a mailbag feature today, and his first question might be the most pressing one to Red Wings fans:
Q: We still have cap space and there’s some intriguing options still available, like Patrick Kane and (Vladimir) Tarasenko. Would love to see Kane on (Alex) DeBrincat’s line. They worked well together in Chicago. Any chance of that happening? – Doug
A: For what it’s worth, this is what Yzerman said about potentially making another move after acquiring DeBrincat:
“I’m not going to rule anything out. If there’s a great player out there and we can acquire him … we would strongly consider it. We’re not restrained by finances, we’re restrained by the salary cap. We’re not going to go to the cap just to go to the cap, but certainly if an opportunity comes along that makes our team better … we’re prepared to do that. Having said that, I’m not aware of any scenario that’s going to happen at this time. So, I don’t see us doing a whole lot more.”
Kane underwent hip resurfacing surgery on June 1 and is expected to miss four-to-six months. He’ll likely sign with a team when he’s closer to returning. He’s probably looking for a multiyear deal with a Stanley Cup-contending club. Don’t think he’d be interested in being part of a rebuild at this stage of his career.
Tarasenko reportedly is seeking a multiyear deal in the $6 million-a-year range. He won’t get that in Detroit. If the New York Rangers can’t afford him, maybe he goes to Ottawa as DeBrincat’s replacement if the Senators can find the cap space.
The Red Wings aren’t going to exhaust all of their cap space but could use another forward, maybe a bottom-six center.
Perhaps they’d be interested in bringing back Pius Suter on a reasonable one-year deal. At this point, he’s probably not getting the two-year contract he’s seeking on the market.
Another possibility is helping a cap-strapped team by assuming an expiring contract and acquiring a second-round pick in the process, like they did with Marc Staal and Nick Leddy.
